Monday, December 29, 2008

I've got some new readers. So I figured I'd tell you folks some stuff about my FA views you may or may not know.

Feel free to ask questions about these bits.

1.) I don't have a super hate on for the diet industry. I do believe that the corporate machine that makes up these "we care about your health so give us shitloads of money" corps kinda suck. However, I do see that some people need somewhere like Weight Watchers. I do think that it's a shame that so many of these ever so concerned businesses like to bullshit their ways into our tender hearts with their tear jerker commercials, their tell alls, their weeping celebrity spokespeople. Because it is bullshit. They don't actually give two shits about the "Obesity Crises", your health, my health or anything else. All they really want are those dollars.

All that said, I will say that when I find some diet company foods at the outlet store where we grocery shop I will buy them. I think those South Beach lunchable thingies are delicious. Not worth the five fucking dollars they are at Safeway, but when they are on sale for 1.89 I will get two or three for my lunch. I also though I'm not a huge soda drinker love Coke Vanilla 0. Most soda's are too sweet for my taste and sometimes I really want a fucking soda and those work. Also due to Uniballer's borderline diabeticness, I like a lot of sugar-free (OH NOEZ IT"S GUNNA KILL ME WIF THE FAKE SUGARZ) candies.

2.) I am not a huge or even purposeful HAES practitioner. Frankly HAES is impractical and often frustrating for me. My body may want some vegetables but my wallet often isn't full enough for said vegetables so I don't bother. I do think HAES is a good idea, and very good in practice for some people I am just not one of them to the degree I'd put the label on myself. - Edited to add since I apparently deleted some bit of this. I am speaking here about the intuitive eating, portion of HAES. As for the rest, I don't have a huge opinion. I think that if it does you good to try and be healthy and happy at whatever size you are that is awesome.

3.) I do take some issue with Fat Activism being only about Fat people. Which is why I'm more apt to say Size Acceptance. Frankly, my perspective is that for as many issues that seem to be exclusive to fat people, people with bodies are experiencing them to a degree as well. And I believe that as human beings, the path to keeping all of our bodies from being legislated against and discriminated against is paved with fat and not so fat and super bony ass skinny and not so skinny stones. I wholeheartedly believe there is room for all bodies to benefit from the tenets put forth by Fat Activism. Men, Women, whatever gender and representation you are rocking in whatever body you have. It has to do with all of us.

4.) The above is why you will probably not find me at No Lose, NAAFA conventions and meetings etc. It's just not my bag. If it's yours that's great, that's awesome it's just not my thing.

5.) I am not a feminist. I put that label down in favor of keeping my blood pressure low. There are myriad reasons why I have arrived at this particular juncture in my life. I have yet to find the kind of feminism that I would be proud to cheer for. That isn't to say I don't like a lot of feminists because I do. That also doesn't mean that I want women to not have equality yadda yadda. I will not ally myself with "feminists" who despite their rabid defense of some women would demonize, humiliate and be fucking assholes to anyone who doesn't fit their idea of "health" or "attractiveness". Do some searching I'm sure you'll figure out what I'm talking about. So in a nutshell, fuck that. No.

6.) As with any movement, I really fucking hate it when someone who doesn't fit the "look" of who you think should be in a movement they get shunted into (in my opinion) the dubious position of ally. I look at it this way, say you and I agree about something. I am really not likely to say "awesome you agree but you can't really be involved so why don't you just stand right here and look friendly." Granted I'm overstating here but, you get the gist of what I'm saying. If you're with me, you're with me and that is awesome. I hate over complicating things with jargon and hierarchy.

7.) For the record I am not of the opinion that for everybody being fat is great and wonderful. I don't know where people get that idea. Fact is, every body has a different experience. And yes, for some people deliberate weightloss (OH NOEZ I SAID IT) could help relieve some health problems. However that does not mean, that ones weight should be the first factor considered with any health problem. There are lots of illnesses etc that are exacerbated, caused by, and have nothing to do with how fat your ass is. Further, I do not believe it is a moral imperative for people to want to or strive to be healthy. It's your body do what you want with it.

I also do not believe that it is at all okay to demonize people or discriminate (remember kids, discrimination is not bias, it is bias in action) against people who don't share your view of the importance of their health. If you want to avoid every fat known to man, salt, meat, diary, and whatever else is deemed to be "evil" foods today fantastic, do it. But your decision is not my decision and vice versa.

Also, again you cannot for the most part look at a person and know the intimacies of their health. You just can't. Being fat does not automatically=being so unhealthy ZOMG FATASS UR GUNNA DIE. Being thin does not automatically=healthy and awesome. It just doesn't work that way.

I'm sure you're getting the theme here.

Essentially when it comes to FA, Feminism etc my base ideals revolve around the fact that I do not want other people trying to control my mind or body, and I don't want to control other peoples minds and bodies. It's just not right.

So as I keep saying over and over again think whatever you want to about fat people, people of color etc. Rock on with your bad self.

The problem folks, is when you take those biases, and try to use them to make my decisions for me. Or when you use your biases to influence what kind of health care or service I get.

I don't appreciate it and I doubt that you'd like it if I did that to you.

I leave you with some Popa Chubby. Hell to the yeah. This did induce some rocking out at my desk.

Rather than my usual navel gazing end of the year post on Weds I want to do something different. Not sure what yet.

However there will be a 2008 in review. With pictures.

Now, please come have a look at my blogroll. I read a fuckton more blogs than that and I can't seem to keep the goddamn thing updated properly so if I am missing a link to you let me know or if you would like me to come read your blog lemme know.

7 comments:

I do call myself a feminist, but I know what you're talking about with point #5. Oh yes. If I never see another post or newspaper article about how fat feminists like me are ruining the image of feminism, it will be too soon!

I figure the base of feminism is equality for women; and if I believe in that then I am a feminist. So I think that if you are fat or pro-life or a busy person with two jobs and no time to devote to philosophy and discussion, you can still be feminist.

That said, I also believe firmly in not calling somebody something they don't want to be called.

I really like what you wrote here about feminism. I see too much in the FA community that basically boils down to "either you're a feminist or you're succumbing to the patriarchy and you suck". It's refreshing to see a fat activist acknowledge that supporting women's rights and being part of the feminist movement are not necessarily the same thing, especially when so much of feminism has become "Oh my god you did something the patriachy would want you to do, you're a bad feminist! Go sit in the corner!" even if it was something you did because you just WANTED to. Saying that a woman shouldn't do something she wants to because it's not feminist seems pretty ass-backwards and counterproductive to me.

Your posts always show up when I'm starting to drift into extremist territory and always remind why I'm not an extremist.

Thank you for the video!

I heard about that guy because I'm teaching myself to play the guitar and thought my fingers were too fat because I kept muting nearby strings. Someone commented somewhere that if that guy could play the guitar like that, there isn't any such thing as fingers too fat to play. It was great to get see what that person had meant.

I never looked him up because I got sidetracked by learning that my issue wasn't fat fingers, it was just poor technique. Solving that problem was easy! Now it's just a matter of practice.

I'm sorry that you can't consider yourself a feminist, because the label means so many things and you wouldn't know which kind you could be behind completely. I personally used to consider myself a feminist, but then when I encountered a group of other, different feminists, they harassed and insulted me until it was hard for me to call myself a feminist anymore.

Your eyes are open to controversies and objectivity, and I am so glad to have read what you have written.

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I'm Shannon. I write lots of things. I blog about fat, race, sex and shiny things and intersections and whatnot in my personal blog which you can find here. Also in my blog I am open to giving advice of all sorts if you need it. I am also an author of poetry things, fiction things and non fiction things. You can find all of my available things to read on the internets. Before I give you a link be aware that I am Queer. As. Fuck. I write erotica, I write things that may or may not either turn you on or offend you. Don't be mad if you read something here or elsewhere written by me that upsets you. Consider this your warning. Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Other things.

I like fashion. I am an Aging Goth. I am frequently very silly and cheeky. I am also frequently dead ass serious.

You can always ask me questions about anything I am pretty open. However, I do not promise to be nice nor will I do research for you.

I am not always work safe and often forget to tag things safe or not safe for work.

This is not a statement, I frankly just forget. When it comes to trigger warnings as well I try to remember but often don't.

I like pie. I love boots, as in I have a bit of a boot fetish in the crotch tingling way. I am kinky. I am weird. I am probably offensive to someone 80% of the time. We can talk about that if you need to but per usual I don't promise to give answers that make people happy.